The Cascade September 12, 1997
Lisa Chew "People may or may not say what they mean . .. but they always say something designed to get what they want." -David Mamet When the publicity package for "Sexual Perversity in Chicago" came sliding under The Cascade office door, how could I help but be intrigued-likely due to those same voyeuristic tendencies in us all that have enticed you into reading this article. This play by David Mamet was playing at the Vancouver Fringe Festival, produced, directed, and acted by exUCFV students ... the perfect theatre article for The Cascade's first issue and a good excuse for me to get a comp. Sexual Perversity was a play that provoked me, confused me and pissed me off. I read Mamet's play in about an hour and immediately decided that I hated it. The characters seemed stereotyped, shallow and lacking in anything that connected with me. Bernie, the asshole, objectifier of women, had not a single redeeming quality, while Joan, the bitter feminist lacked
'Entertainment
Pl any of the positive qualities of a strong woman. Deborah and Danny were the other two characters and while their affair lies ai the center of the play, both characters came across as weak and underdeveloped. I grumbled my way into Vancouver on Friday evening, grabbed a Hooch at the WISE Hall bar and settled down in a decidedly exhausted and unimpressed mood. The Hooch quickly combined with my empty stomach to raise my spirits somewhat. The set seemed nondescript in the dull pre-action lighting; but the large futon bed still grabbed the audience's attention as central to the setting. No doubt this play
is about sexuality and· the set unhesitatingly underlined this. (The play began promptly and I laughed and laughed along with many of the others in the audience.) Theatre is like that, sometimes it is an iconoclast, catching you completely offguard. The play consists of a series of vignettes highlighting conversations between various combinations of the four characters. The staging worked very well to accommodate the fast pace and change of location. In fact, the group even won a stage design award at the Kelowna Drama Festival this summer. The musical score for this production has also
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won accolades, as it is all original compositions by Broek Bosma. The actors are all members of Saucy Eye productions, a company that was formed in order to stage this play at the UCFV Director's Festival last May. The actors are Kasey Kieler, Dena Ashbaugh, Eleanor Spooner, and Scott Tremblay. Each of these actors had a demanding role and was quite capable at their task. Tre~blay however, stole the show as Bernie and perhaps his acting, combined with the direction of Andrew Smith, are what made me suddenly able to find sympathy and depth in Bernie's character. I still don't like this play, but I thoroughly enjoyed the many conversations I had with others about it. I also enjoyed watching the successful ex UCFV students perform it and engage me in this plays themes, hence the contradictions within me, regarding this play. I do think that this play is lacking in accuracy and depth of development for the female characters, but it is still worth _seeing sometime.
............... ~ ........... .It's Always Good To Avoid The Lap Dance .......................... . Paul F. Becker Perhaps the most debilitating thing about Gonzo journalism is the fact that it intends to focus on the nonfiction; to make reality a greater story than any fietion..... I
"Taxi, sir?" the porter inquired as I stumbled out of the Club Rio. Of course, a taxi! I needed a taxi in the most obvious way-there was no way I could walk back to my room. It was at least a kilometre away and the air was warm enough to make me sweat just standing; a walk might kill me. Mind you, the amount of alcohol in my system might have been the main reason I was sweating-but I didn't want to think about that for the time being. No, a ride home was of real importance. Besides, I was in Vegas, and no one walks
here. That is why half the tourists are fatter than Marlon Brando. The cab pulled up and I fell into the back seat. "Take me to the Imperial Palace please" I managed as I dug into my coat for the cigar I had bought earlier. It was hand-made in the very shop that boxing great George Foreman and Joe Frazier had stood and smoked fat stogies, perhaps contemplating the ever-approaching next fight. That or the big-ass wad of cash sitting in their pocket. They probably tip everyone, I thought to myself, which would necessitate the large roll of bills. In Vegas, its hip to tip everywhere you go, as if you have money coming out of your ass. The tipping act can be overplayed and quite hard on the wallet v.-he·" you really involve yourself. For instance, during a i1ab1tuctl
walk from my room down to the ground floor and across the casino gaming area in search of the bar with The Special, hidden costs began to develop. The Special was an ice cold bottle of Corona for a dollaran unbeatable deal-but after a few routine trips I soon realized that my beer score wasn't so great. After tipping Leon the bellhop (who always had a scoop on the hot-spots for the evening), Maurice the slots manager (who would tell you where not to play slots because someone always lucks out and drains machines, leaving it useless to the pocket-change gambler), and giving the bartender a tip for grabbing me yet-another cheap beer, The Special became less than special. A perfect example of Las Vegas economics: a $1 beer will inevitably cost $4. There is
no way to win in Las Vegas. "That'll be eight dollars, sir." I gave the driver a ten and told him to keep the change, not out of courtesy but more because I didn't want to have to wait. And of course there was the tipping act to maintain. As I moved through the casino I got yet another chance to see people paying to get drunk on weak booze, while losing their c,ash. I guess that's the beauty and attraction of gambling; my friend Abe told me that he had a good time getting drunk at the $20 bet table, and it only cost him $1000 (American funds) .... of course, he budgeted for that. I budgeted for a $10 loss and I was already nearing $8.50, thus my habit of buying cheap beer and retiring to my room. Tonight was no different than last ... NEXT PAGE...
